E-Paper Hacking with Ben Krasnow

Arduino Technology
E-Paper Hacking with Ben Krasnow

In the most recent episode of Applied Science, Ben Krasnow takes a look at the Waveshare E-Paper Display (which you can get online for around US$30). He first demos the display, then he very clearly explains how this type of e-ink technology works, and how screen refresh rate is used to prevent the electric field that regulates the pixels from over-charging the screen and ruining the e-ink. He also explains how the clever multi-color pixel technology works.

From there, Ben explores how to hack the software that controls the display to overclock the refresh rate to the max (without ruining the functionality of the display). Fascinating stuff.

YouTube player

And try not to drool all over the Tektronix 5-series oscilloscope that he uses in the video (on loan from Tek). That baby costs almost thirteen large! You can even boot Windows 10 on it, use it as a regular PC, and even watch TV on it (it sports a lovely 1080p display). For that kind of dough, it better do my dishes, too.

Ben explains how e-ink works. Nice notebook!

On his website, Ben has some show notes with links to all of the relevant hardware and software he used.

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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

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